Covering Climate Now

The United States’s political tumult has not changed the physics of climate change. The climate story is only going to get bigger, and it’s journalism's job to help audiences understand why that is happening and, crucially, that it doesn’t have to be this way: Humanity has all the tools needed to avoid global warming’s worst impacts; what’s been lacking are political leaders who will implement those solutions — a dynamic poised to become more acute with Trump’s return to power. But Trump’s victory by no means represents a rejection of climate action. The silver lining is that US voters did not repudiate climate action; they simply cared more about other issues, notably the economy. Maybe, then, the best way to tell the climate story right now is to thread it throughout our coverage of the economy, migration, or whatever the news of the day is. “Good climate journalism has just become twice as important,” wrote?Wolfgang Blau, the co-founder of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, the morning after Donald Trump won the US presidential election. We agree. #elections2024?#politics?#climatechange?#solutions?#climate?#news?#journalism

Does Trump really have a mandate? No, but climate journalism still has to adapt to a new era. Credulous early news coverage spread the narrative that Trump won a massive victory, but the ultimate vote count tells a different story. With some states still completing their final tally, Trump is projected to win less than half of the popular vote —?49.87%, at last count (Cook Political Report). Which means that more Americans voted against Trump than voted for him. Trump did, however, score a resounding 312 to 226 victory in the Electoral College, and he’ll have narrow Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. In terms of governing power, there’s no question that he won big. As journalists, our job is to prioritize what our audience wants to know. Trump’s return to the White House complicates that task, as newsrooms are bound to be stretched by the ensuing chaos and Trump’s threats to “go after” media he doesn’t like. Climate news may get folded into existing stories more. If so, it will be more important than ever that?all?journalists, not just dedicated climate reporters, make the climate connection to the news of the day, whether it’s extreme weather or mass deportations, affordable insurance or public health. As long as humans burn more oil, gas, and coal, as Trump wants to do, extreme weather will keep hitting harder and more often. The public already wonders what’s going on, what role climate change might be playing, and what they can do to protect themselves. That’s the story we journalists have to keep telling — one for which, sadly, we’ll have plenty of news pegs over the next four years. #ClimateBeat #media #journalism #news #climatechange #extremeweather

What mental health resources do environmental and climate journalists need? The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and the C.A.R.E.S. Media Initiative are collaborating on a research study to understand the resources that journalists on this beat need to do their work — as well as how these challenges affect their interactions with audiences and sources. If you have been employed as a journalist in the past two years, worked as a journalist for more than six months, speak English, are over 18, and are living in the United States of America, you're eligible to participate in the survey: https://lnkd.in/gUd_FcUU Graphic credit: Rebecca Weston, Climate Psychology Alliance of North America

We are honoured to have Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, PhD as the facilitator for our Climate Solutions Journalism webinar, in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, on Dec. 2. An Indigenous climate journalist and scholar from Samoa in the South Pacific, Jackson is the Director of Climate Journalism at the Solutions Journalism Network. With over 20 years of experience in climate reporting across various local and global media outlets, including Samoa Observer, Newsline Samoa, AFP, Al Jazeera English, ABC Radio Australia, New Zealand Herald and CNN, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the session. Lagipoiva has also been pivotal in revising The AP Style Guide chapter on climate change and designing the first global South climate journalism training for The Associated Press. She is also the Co-Chair of Covering Climate Now, a founding advisory board member of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network and currently serves as a Gender Council Member for the International Federation of Journalists. Join us to learn from her expertise on how to craft solutions-oriented narratives in climate journalism. Spots are limited. Reserve yours: https://lnkd.in/gJie8agM This event is made possible with the support of Intact. #JournalismMatters #ClimateSolutions #Climate #JournalismWorkshop

As the Northeast US faces historic autumn drought and wildfires, this week's #LocallySourced features expert water, climate and environment reporter Dorany Pineda. Inside, you'll find background, reporting tips, example stories, data resources, maps, graphics, and even recommended expert sources. #drought #wildfire #climatechange #climate #media #local #news #reporting

Communicating climate change is challenging enough ? now imagine breaking down one of the most technical components of the Paris Agreement: #Transparency ?????? That's why we're hosting a specialized media training at #COP29 designed for journalists, media professionals, communicators, creators, and anyone eager to inform audiences on countries' climate progress and driving effective engagement. Three reasons why you should join us: 1. The new transparency framework is now in full implementation mode 2. Transparency's new reports #BTRs will play a key role in preparing ambitious #NDCs 3. We'll hear from media about how they report on transparency and what challenges and opportunities they see ?? Space is limited in the Pavillion - arrive early! Once the room is full, no additional attendees will be able to enter. ?? If you are not at #COP29 but are interested in this training, sign up to the UNFCCC Transparency media distribution list to receive the recording: https://lnkd.in/dVxs44gh See you tomorrow!! Jennifer Bansard Dizzanne Billy Nathan Cogswell Stefanía D Annibali Federico Brocchieri International Institute for Sustainable Development Climate Tracker World Resources Institute UN Climate Change #MediaEvents #Journalists #COP29

“I remember hearing on the [police] scanner that there’s a child in the water.” Every parent’s nightmare was about to strike Tera Sisco, a medical worker in Nova Scotia, Canada. Torrential rains were dumping almost a foot of water in 24 hours on her rural community. The resulting flash floods swept her six-year-old son, Colton, out of his father’s arms into eternity. “It was like doomsday,” Sisco said. “This Is Climate Breakdown” is the title of a series of testimonials by climate disaster victims from around the world that’s appearing in the Guardian during the COP29 climate negotiations. https://lnkd.in/ePMtJPah Sean Holman, a professor of journalism at the University of Victoria, wrote Sisco’s story after conducting hours of interviews with her for the?Climate Disaster Project, an international teaching newsroom whose journalists are trained in trauma-informed interview skills. Our work as journalists exposes us to so many stories of death and destruction that we can unconsciously become inured to the terrible suffering involved. The floods that claimed Sisco’s son, for example, killed “only” four people, according to news reports. Telling the story of a six-year-old boy named Colton who idolized Spider-Man and whose memorial service featured “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons because it was his favorite song — and telling it through the bottomless sorrow of his bereft mother — brings us back to our humanity and reminds us that behind the sterile statistics are individual lives, and every life matters. #ClimateBeat #ClimateDisasterProject #UnnaturalDisaster #climatechange #COP29 #media #journalism

Every Monday, in #ClimateOnTheBallot, we passed along a topic to help you integrate climate into your newsroom’s campaign reporting. Now, we’re working on what’s next for this newsletter — so hold this space in your inbox! #politics #climate #news #journalism #media

“Voting isn’t important just because you can elect the right people,” Nathaniel Stinnett, executive director of the Environmental Voter Project,?told?The Revelator in 2022. “It’s also important because in between elections is when policy is made.” And no matter who wins the White House, much of the work battling climate change will be carried out by state and local officials further down the ballot. In today's edition of #ClimateOnTheBallot, you'll find reporting ideas and inspiration as American voters send in their ballots and head to the polls. #elections2024 #climate #climatechange #politics #news #journalism

Voters need the facts about climate change, regardless of how it makes candidates look. Read the latest #ClimateBeat for more, plus: noteworthy stories, events, resources, and journalism opportunities. #elections2024 #journalism #news #media #climate